CARPET giant Brintons has smashed its financial records to break through the £10m profit barrier for the first time.

The Kidderminster family-owned firm also saw worldwide sales increase by 10 per cent to £112m, bucking the trend of others in the industry facing a business slump.

The news will be particularly welcome after last year's profit fall following five years of continued growth.

Company managing director Alan Folwell said the results reflected the improved geographical spread of its global sales and marketing.

But warned the Stourport Road firm would not become complacent about success.

"It's a credit to our employees worldwide that the group has broken through the £10m profit level for the first time, particularly as market conditions in many parts of the world were working against us," he said.

"Nevertheless we can't afford to be complacent in the face of increasingly intensive international competition in all the markets we serve.

"We continue to be cautious about the medium term prospects for the UK and world economy but are intent on using our strength to out-perform our competition."

Mr Folwell said competitive pressures remained intense in all markets and the continued weakness of the Euro were caused export problems.

But that these factors had been offset by improved performances at Brinton's British manufacturing sites, by increased capacity in Portugal and India and by tight control of raw material costs.

The firm completed its relocation of manufacturing from Kidderminster town centre earlier this year.

A new factory in India has already opened and a finishing plant in Portugal has been commissioned.

Future projects include the construction of a "state-of-the-art" package dyeing plant at its Stourport Road factory in Kidderminster.